Future Rule Change for Rejoining the Track

A few years late with this one..... that rule has affected dozens upon dozens of races previous to last weekend...

Juzzz say'n....

gt80rider wrote:

A few years late with this one..... that rule has affected dozens upon dozens of races previous to last weekend...

Juzzz say'n....

So if it’s affected dozens of dozens of riders, wouldn’t it make sense to look at changing it?

Put lava moats on the side of the track. Problem solved.

I think was AC did was PERFECT. Sometimes I've seen where riders reenter that track and think to myself "that was iffy, they might have gained some time". But what AC did was great imo. He let off the gas and let cooper get ahead to what he believed was the same distance as to when he exited the track. Which was good judgement based off what I saw live. If the rules stay how they are now, they should use that replay as an example of how you do it correctly. Just my opinion.

Rule is fine as it is. You can’t throw a punishment blanket over incidents like that, since each one is different from the next. Case by case, protest and have officials look at it if you think it was shady.

This whole argument is stupid. In every other form of motor racing where this sort of thing can happen the rules are the same, enter the track where it is safe and do not gain an advantage. In car racing when a car goes off the track, skips a section and enters in front of the car they were behind all they do is back off, let the guy back past and keep racing.
If AC had to stop, turn around, ride back against the flow of racing and then re enter the track, not only is that dangerous but it robs the fans of a close battle as Cooper checks out

Apply it to cross country racing and enjoy at the uproar. Those guys cheat their asses off and it gets exponentially worse the faster the class.

I think the rule could be modified to say something like "safe place to enter within 100ft (30m) of where the competitor left the track." Taking a breather in the water truck lane while the guy in front of you catches up shouldn't be part running off the track during a race.

gt80rider wrote:

A few years late with this one..... that rule has affected dozens upon dozens of races previous to last weekend...

Juzzz say'n....

jsiever90 wrote:

So if it’s affected dozens of dozens of riders, wouldn’t it make sense to look at changing it?

So what are you doing to change the rule and why are you so affected by the rule that they use now ?

gt80rider wrote:

A few years late with this one..... that rule has affected dozens upon dozens of races previous to last weekend...

Juzzz say'n....

Better late than never

This is simple. This is a professional sport. So lets think ahead and account for as many racing scenarios as we can to protect our riders and provide the best racing environment possible.

Every Pro National event needs to provide for and exit/re-entry along both sides of the track every 50 (or whatever) feet. Of course there will still be some grey area as to determining "if" said rider "could have" returned safely. So give em 2 chances. Then start docking seconds.

There done.

AC could have re entered the track much earlier on the uphill portion (first available spot) he would have had to jump the banners just like he did on the downhill. I don't think it would have mattered though because of Coopers tip over.

Sticky situation. If I was Cooper, I’d be pissed since I also believe that, for AC, not ending up at a disadvantage for cutting that much track resulted in an advantage. But if you’re AC, you just know to get back on at a safe place, so you get back on at the end of the banners. Just so happens that the banners are all the way through the apex and back around on a huge corner. The track coordinators and whoever runs the banner placement are the ones at fault here, since they placed them in a way that something this controversial could happen. Definitely need more spacing between them.

Sucks for Cooper, but you can’t blame AC for that. He ended up laying it over later in the race, sure, but these 250 races have been pretty tight down to the finish, so I get the frustration. Every second counts.

It would be SO dangerous to go backwards back to the place you went off and try to rejoin a race from a dead stop while guys are flying by. That's ridiculous. The rule is fine AND SAFE as it is.

The existing rules need to be enforced. Unless rules from the last 80 +/- years have changed, where you have to reenter as close to where you left as possible, the rules are already there.

Had AC did a U turn in the middle, reentered where he flew off, he would have been WAY farther back than what he did.

SX races are the worst. They haul ass down the 4 wheeler lane and barely lose any time at all, if any.

A rule change to address a "fiasco" manufactured by a few disgruntled Vital members. Great idea.

He missed a huge chunk of track and hopped banners anyway to get back on. Tough situation to be in. Not blaming AC one bit for doing what he did in the moment. But there has to be more consequence for going off the track than getting to choose your own time it cost you. They should at least dock the amount of time he was off the track to the time he re-entered it to the final results.

MPJC wrote:

A rule change to address a "fiasco" manufactured by a few disgruntled Vital members. Great idea.

It's not just "a few disgruntled Vital members". The affected rider filed a protest.

I don't think Cianciarulo broke any rules. But, it does seem like there should be some sort of penalty for going off the track. Then maybe racers would make more of an effort to avoid the edges. One of these days somebody is going to get hurt (if it hasn't happened already).

Flip109 wrote:

He missed a huge chunk of track and hopped banners anyway to get back on. Tough situation to be in. Not blaming AC one bit for doing what he did in the moment. But there has to be more consequence for going off the track than getting to choose your own time it cost you. They should at least dock the amount of time he was off the track to the time he re-entered it to the final results.

I think that's a pretty good idea.

Sometimes where they accidentally go off the track is a very dangerous place to re-enter the track. Like on the backside of a jump. And what if you accidentally go over a tall supercross berm? You gotta blindy enter back over the berm? I don't think forcing riders to always re enter where they went off is plausible or safe. I think the way it is is as good as the rule can be, and I think most riders (Like AC) are gonna make sure they slow up if needed so that they don't gain an advantage. The ones who don't can just be penalized in whatever way is appropriate. I don't think there's ever gonna be perfect rule that can be implemented for accidentally running off the track, and I would say it's an accident pretty much all the time.

They should build super deep whoops all around the track and the infield and design the layout such that cutting the track is always slower, then the promoters can get a new mascot, The Vitalizer, and he can come out and do his signature dance for everyone....

No and for the love of God just shut up about it.

jsiever90 wrote:

My take on this whole AC/Justin Cooper fiasco:

Yes AC rejoined the track at the easiest place, pulled out right next to Cooper, and then slowed down to try an maintain what he “believed” was the gap.

Now my issue lies with every occurrence there has been with riders that have exited the track in supercross or motocross, in that if you make a mistake and go off the track, you should have to re enter at the same point, or face a set time penalty. You see guys in supercross go off the side of the track, and then haul ass down the side and rejoin right behind the rider they were behind.

Any time you leave the track it’s a mistake. A mistake shouldn’t gain you time, nor should it maintain your gap. A mistake costs you time. Simplest fix is to enter where you went off, if you don’t, it’s a 5 or 10 second penalty at the end of the race, and you place accordingly to your time crossing the finish line.

Worst idea I ever heard.

If a racer gets penalized 10 seconds for simply going off the track, what do you think is going to happen? Everyone is is going to try to force other riders that come near them off the track. Why would you not??

The current rule is just fine. And I agree, just shut up about. Cooper lost because he crashed.

NateDawg wrote:

No and for the love of God just shut up about it.

That's some brutal clarity right there. I ain't scared to give it a thumbs up.

MW19 wrote:

I think was AC did was PERFECT. Sometimes I've seen where riders reenter that track and think to myself "that was iffy, they might have gained some time". But what AC did was great imo. He let off the gas and let cooper get ahead to what he believed was the same distance as to when he exited the track. Which was good judgement based off what I saw live. If the rules stay how they are now, they should use that replay as an example of how you do it correctly. Just my opinion.

Agreed. To beat a dead and rotting horse, had Cooper Webb slowed up after landing on the apex tuff block (I forget which SX round it was) to let Eli regain the position he had, there wouldn’t have been an issue. AC has made some bad moves in the past when he went off track, but this is just the opposite.

All the current rule promotes is riding over one’s head, racers understand, because if a mistake is made causing them to go off track they can rejoin the race with no loss for their mistake.

Flip109 wrote:

He missed a huge chunk of track and hopped banners anyway to get back on. Tough situation to be in. Not blaming AC one bit for doing what he did in the moment. But there has to be more consequence for going off the track than getting to choose your own time it cost you. They should at least dock the amount of time he was off the track to the time he re-entered it to the final results.

And when Cooper Webb forced Moosecan off the track at the Houston SX? Mooscan should have been penalized???

So by your rule, if I'm Adam Enticknapp and I cross rut and go off the track and get stuck in thick mud and stall the bike. Can't start it for 30 seconds because it's a Suzuki with a kicker and I'm exhausted because its 25 minutes into Moto 2 during August...... I should be penalized 45 seconds? Bwhahaha!!!!

Man, I can't believe so many people are in love with letting them cheat. Boggles my mind. It's everything wrong with society today, no consequences for doing something wrong.

Really? That's where you want to go with this? To be honest, it's about what I expected. I knew you would be the one to bite.